Improvement in the processes of manufacturing type-blocks



nANIIEn ,,DRAPER, 0F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS Letters Patent No; 112,562, dated March 14,1871.

IMPROVEMENT m THE PRo'cEssEs or MANUFACTURINGTVPE-ELOCK-S.

' ifhe s ch eduie r ei'e ne to in these LettersPatent and making part of the same.

i To all whom 'i't fmcy concerns j- Beit known that I, DANIEL A. DRAPmt, of Gain- -bridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain I niprovenients in the Art of Man ul'actnring Ty e Blocks for Hand-Stamps and other purposes; and I hereby declare the followiing to beja full, clear,and exact description thereof.

Type-blocks for hand-stamps, 8m, have been formed byibrcing the. metal or'blanlc into sectional metal dies held securely in placeby suitable mechanical devices, as set forth in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me onthe 7th ay of May, A31), 1857. 1

Ilhefmetalor blank was, however, operated upon in a cold state, and, owing to its being necessarily hard l to prodncea durable type-block, the blank required to be subjectedftorepeated blows, each blow so hardening the blank was became necessary to remove itfi'orn the dies andanneal itbefore again submitting it to pressure.

To avoid thetime andlabor involved in thus form-' ingthe'block ii'oin the blank ina cold state is the ob:

ject of i.ny"invention, which consists in heating the metal or blank, as hereinafter described, and subjecting it to a blow or pressure \uliileiu such heated state,

whereby the type, letters, figures, or iitliei fcliai-actel's can beformed thereon by flowingor forcing the metal into the dies by a single blow ofithe hammer or action oi the press; also, inarepeatingjtlie'blow of the haminer or operation of the press upon the type-block or .wheel when contracted by cooling, whereby the block oiqwheel is again expanded-"so as to iill the dies, the

" metal employed beingof such anature thitt, when broughtto or beyond a redheat', it will not be fractured when snbn itted'toa blow or pressure.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use'1ny,i1i\ 'cntion,-I w illproceed to describe the manner in which 'Ihave carried it out.

'ihehlank from which the type-block is to be made is cut or otherwiseformed out'of a metal "possessing the proper de'greeoi' hardness, firmness,and malleability, and which, whenat or beyond a red heat, will not be fractured when submitted to a blow or pressure. Q

I have found yellow or sheathing metal to be best suited for the purpose. 'The blank is brought to a proper heat, which is at least red-heat, and more usually beyond a red-heat,

the degree of heat being such that the'metal-maybe 'flowed or forced by the blow of the hammer or operation-ot' the press into the dies, so as to fill them.

It is thenplaced'within the space inclosed by a series of four or more sectional dies, which is arranged and securely held in place upon a suitable bed, as described by me in my aforesaid Letters Patent of May 7, A. D. 1867, or in any other well known manner. l .The blank, while still heated to thedegree abov indicated, is submitted to a single blow of a hammer or operation of a press, which is snfficient to force the metal intoand entirely fill the cavities in the dies,and, as the-metal contracts somewhat in cooling,.it is necessary, in order to insure the production of type, letters,

figures, or characters with a sharp and distinct outline, which will not require any subsequent finishing to render them suitable for: printing, to repeat the blow of the hannner or operation of the press, so as to expand the block' and again fill the dies, as before mentioned. 1 I am thus enabled to avoid the lossof time and labor incident to the old method, when the blanlg after it has cooled and while it is in the dies, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

DANIEL A. DRAPER. \Vitnesses N. W. STEARXS, P. E. TESOHEMACHER. 

